Analyzing Group Dynamics & Team Performance in Open Plan Offices

This essay delves into organizational behavior theories concerning groups and teams within open plan office environments. It examines the five-stage model of group development, highlighting the importance of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning stages for effective team management. The essay also addresses reasons for team failure, such as issues in scouting, task coordination, and ambassadorship, emphasizing the need for external interaction and communication to build trust and respect among employees. Ultimately, it underscores the significance of these models and concepts for enhancing team and group dynamics in open plan offices, advocating for management to focus on fostering productive relationships both within and outside the workplace.

Organization behavior
“Groups and teams”

Organization behavior
According to Hongisto, Haapakangas, Varjo, Helenius & Koskela (2016), Open plan
office is the term which is used in the architectural and also for the interior design for the floor
plan that helps to use the large and open spaces. It has been analyzed that in these offices there
are various theories of groups and teams that should be taken into consideration so that it could
be easy to manage the overall activities of the company. In this paper the discussion will be made
on the organizational behavior theories that are related to the open plan offices.
One of the models that should be considered relates to five stage of group development. It
is examined that to manage the activities the higher authority should emphasize on considering
this model in context to open plan offices. According to Forsyth (2018), the group development
can be elaborated as the life cycle that assists in developing and the change. The most important
model of how the groups should develop is concerned with Tuchman five stage models. In this
the first stage is known as the forming stage. By considering this stage it has been said that the
group conducts the activities through different issues of dependency and ambiguity. The next is
storming stage in which the members start negotiating with the authority. Third stage focuses on
the norming stage in which the groups focus on maintaining the productive environment. The
fourth stage is performing stage in which it is the ability of the group to consider the action so
that the relations can be improved and also it helps in facing the different challenges. The last
stage is adjourning stage in which the group comes to an end. So, it can be stated that this is one
of the best organizational model concept that should be considered by the management as it
helps in managing the team and groups in the open plan offices.
According to Costa, Passos & Bakker (2015), there are many reasons due to which teams
fail such as scouting, task coordination and Ambassadorship. So, in relation to this it is important
for the team to interact with the different outsiders to that they can attain growth and success.
There are different types of external interaction teams that are concerned with Scouting and task
coordination. So, scouting can be considered as the activity that can help in creating a proper
understanding of the technical and marketing issues that are faced by the team. Ambassadorship
also focuses on building the team relations with the higher authority in the workplace.
It has been stated by Habermas (2015), Communication can also consider the technique
in relation to organizational behavior that can help in boosting the trust and respect among the
employees. So, it can be stated that it is important for the team to focus on task coordination
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Organization behavior
activities so that it could be easy to boost the relations with each other inside and also outside the
workplace. It is concluded that it is important for the management to focus on these different
models and concepts so that it could be easy to enhance the team and groups in the open plan
offices.
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Organization behavior
References
Hongisto, V., Haapakangas, A., Varjo, J., Helenius, R., & Koskela, H. (2016). Refurbishment of
an open-plan office–environmental and job satisfaction. Journal of Environmental
Psychology, 45, 176-191.
Forsyth, D. R. (2018). Group dynamics. Cengage Learning.
Habermas, J. (2015). Communication and the Evolution of Society. John Wiley & Sons.
Costa, P. L., Passos, A. M., & Bakker, A. B. (2015). Direct and contextual influence of team
conflict on team resources, team work engagement, and team performance. Negotiation and
Conflict Management Research, 8(4), 211-227.
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